The present invention relates to an apparatus for filling containers, especially bottles, with a liquid material, including: At least one filling element for dispensing the liquid material into a respective container in a controlled manner; a bell-shaped portion for each filling element, with the bell-shaped portions having a chamber for completely accommodating a respective container during a filling process, and with an underside of the bell-shaped container having an opening for the introduction and withdrawal of a respective container; bottle support means; and means, preferably in the form of a lifting mechanism, for effecting a relative movement between the bell-shaped portion and the bottle support means in the direction of an axis of the filling element.
An apparatus or bottle filling machine is known (DE-OS 38 09 855), for example for aseptically dispensing liquid material; the bottom ends of each of the filling elements of this known apparatus are provided with an open bell-shaped portion, which completely accommodates the bottle that is to be filled. The bottom end of the bell-shaped portion can be closed off by a bottle support means or bottle plate that supports the bottle and that can be raised and lowered via a lifting mechanism. The reason for closing off the bell-shaped portion is so that the bottle that is accommodated thereby and by the chamber thereof can be subjected to steam under pressure during the filling process in a sterilization phase that precedes the actual filling phase. The pressure in the respectively closed bell-shaped portion is absorbed by the upper part of the machine that carries the filling elements and by the lifting mechanism, which among other things implies a considerable additional stressing of the upper part of the machine as well as of the lifting mechanism, and hence above all also implies additional wear of the lifting mechanism.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve an apparatus of the aforementioned general type in such a way that while being subjected to little wear and while having an optimum manner of operation, in particular also avoids the additional stressing of the upper part of the machine and/or either lifting mechanisms that might be present or other means that are provided for generating the relative movement between the bell-shaped portion and the bottle support means.